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Saturday, May 11, 2013

The Nutrition Debate #107: “even…whole grains and fruits and vegetables”

This quote has stuck in my head since I first read it in an
opinion piece in the New York Times last year (June 30th 2012). The
full title of this article
was, “What Really Makes Us Fat.” It was written by the acclaimed and
controversial science writer Gary Taubes. The full sentence containing the
quote is: “From this perspective, the trial suggests
that among the bad decisions we can make to maintain our weight is exactly what
the government and medical organizations like the American Heart Association
have been telling us to do: eat low-fat, carbohydrate-rich diets, even if those diets include whole grains
and fruits and vegetables” (my
emphasis). I like the quote ‘cause I think it’s kinda edgy, even “snarky.”

Taubes didn’t write this piece for
me in my situation. I have been a diagnosed
Type 2 diabetic for 27 years (probably, therefore, 35 or 40 years). He is
addressing the many who have gained a little weight and may also be starting to
have blood pressure and cholesterol issues. The fact is that many, like me, who first
became “fat” in our 40s, will develop Type 2 diabetes. Many who are even a
little overweight, or slightly technically “obese” (by BMI measurement) will
have developed Metabolic Syndrome and
not even know it. (See The Nutrition Debate here #9 for the indications.) This, however, is exactly the population that is most
likely to contract one of the myriad Diseases of Civilization – heart disease,
stroke, some forms of cancer, and even dementia. It may start with high blood
pressure, high cholesterol (especially in combination with low HDL and high
triglycerides), and maybe even fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

It is now widely thought that this
syndrome and all of these diseases are related to the Western Diet that we have
adopted. That is why we are hearing the advice “eat more whole foods,”
including more “whole grains and fruits and vegetables.” The thing is, whole grains and fruits and vegetables
are all carbohydrates. Taubes’s point, I think, is that if the
“healthy, non-diabetic” population continues to eat these “low-fat,
carbohydrate-rich diets” to maintain our weight, that it would be a “bad
decision” because it is a “carbohydrate-rich” diet.

With this statement Taubes reminds
us of his second of 10 “certain conclusions” in his epic tome “Good
Calories-Bad Calories”: “The problem is the carbohydrates in the diet,
their effect on insulin secretion, and thus the hormonal regulation of homeostasis
– the entire harmonic ensemble of the human body. The more easily digestible
and refined the carbohydrates, the greater the effect on our health, weight,
and well-being.” Boy, does he nail it! You should really read all 10 of his
conclusions, maybe a couple of times. I listed them all here
in The Nutrition Debate #5.

Now, for the “healthy” individual – that means, with no weight, no blood pressure and no
cholesterol issues – eating whole grains and fruits and vegetables in
moderation, without refined carbohydrates and excessive simple sugars, is okay.
And for a fair-sized portion of the population who may not be genetically
predisposed and susceptible to the metabolic derangement, it may also make no
difference to you. But, the
official advice is one size fits all and if
you are overweight and slowly gaining, and are starting to have blood pressure
and cholesterol issues, you would be among the ones for whom, to maintain your
weight, it would be a “bad decision” to do “exactly
what the government and medical organizations like the American Heart
Association have been telling us to do: eat low-fat, carbohydrate-rich diets,
even if those diets include whole grains and fruit and vegetables.”

Neither Taubes (not that I speak
for him) nor I, of course, are saying that you should stop eating whole grains
and fruits and vegetables unless your metabolism is already deranged or in the
process of derangement. But if it is, as mine certainly is, you really have no
choice if you want to regain, to the extent possible, and maintain “your”
homeostasis. For me, I have virtually eliminated all grains and almost never
eat any fruit (just a few berries wreak havoc with my blood sugar for days).
The only vegetables I eat are low-glycemic ones with dinner, usually tossed in
butter or roasted in olive oil. This is admittedly extreme, but necessary for
me to deal with my broken metabolism as a 27 year type 2 diabetic.

If you are prediabetic or have
self-diagnosed Metabolic Syndrome (if your doctor never told you!), you will
only need to moderate your intake of carbohydrates, especially the refined ones
(as in bread, pasta and cereals!) and the simple sugars (as in fruit and honey!).
If you do, and you substitute healthy saturated (e.g. coconut oil) and
monounsaturated (e.g. olive oil) fats, I am confident you will eat less, lose
weight and have healthier blood lipids (including higher HDL and lower
triglycerides). Supplementation with a 1-gram fish oil tablet twice a day, and
avoiding foods fried in corn or soy bean oil, or baked goods made with them and
HFCS, will also help a lot. To do all this you will need to go against the
advice of “the government and medical organizations like the American Heart
Association” that Taubes mentions.

I know that’s going to be tough: Do what I say,
or do what the government and the AHA tell you to do. Right? But, if you are getting ready to jump into the
fray and you need to gird your loins, read The Nutrition Debate #1 through #5
for added support. You can also find an index of all the columns I have written
in the upper right-hand corner of the blog.

1 comment:

I agree that it is now widely thought that this syndrome and all of these diseases are related to the Western Diet that we have adopted. That is why we are hearing the advice “eat more whole foods,” including more “whole grains and fruits and vegetables.”

About Me

I was diagnosed a Type 2 diabetic in 1986. I started a Very Low Carb diet (Atkins Induction) in 2002 to lose weight. I didn’t realize at the time that it would put my diabetes in clinical remission, or that I would be able to give up almost all of my oral diabetes meds. I also didn’t understand that, as I lost weight and continued to eat Very Low Carb, my blood lipids would dramatically improve (doubling my HDL and cutting my triglycerides by 2/3rds) and that my blood pressure would drop from 130/90 to 110/70 on the same meds.
Over the years I changed from Atkins to the Bernstein Diet (designed for diabetics) and, altogether lost 170 pounds. I later regained some and then lost some. As long as I eat Very Low Carb, I am not hungry and I have lots of energy. And I no longer have any of the indications of Metabolic Syndrome.
My goal, as long as I have excess body fat, is to remain continuously in a ketogenic state, both for blood glucose regulation and continued weight loss. I expect that this regimen will continue to provide the benefits of reduced systemic inflammation, improved blood lipids and lower blood pressure as well.